08/05/13 08/05/13 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] >> from pacifica, this is democracy now! been an awful lot of chatter out there. chatter meant conversation among tourists about the planning going on, very reminiscent of what we saw pre-9/11. the united states closes 19 embassies in north africa and the middle east rep to a week, citing intelligence gathered by the national security agency. we will speak with glenn greenwald. two months ago he began publishing a series of articles exposing the nsa's past surveillance capabilities. >> the director of national intelligence james clapper went to the u.s. senate and the senate said, are you collecting data on minds of americans? he said, no. the very first sure he we did

show they were collecting -- story we did showed they were collecting data. is ann, hasan rouhani upgraded as arends to president replacing mahmoud ahmadinejad. >> if you want the right response, don't stick with a ran in the language of -- don't speak with a ran. >> we will speak with trita parsi. all of that and more coming up. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. the obama administration has announced it will keep 19 embassies in north africa and the middle east closed from to a week due to fears of a possible military threat. ramped up security measures were in place over the weekend that some of the 22 diplomatic posts shattered by the concerns. saxby chambliss, the top republican on the senate

intelligence committee, said intercepted communications were reminiscent of what was heard before the 9/11 attacks. credited the nsa spy programs with detecting the threat. >> these programs are controversial. . we understand that. very important. there are what lead us to have or allow us to have the ability to gather this chatter that i refer to. if we did not have these programs, then we simply would not be able to listen in on the bad guys. the 702ay, it is program that has allowed us to pick up on this chatter. that is the program that allows us to listen overseas, not on domestic soil, but overseas. >> opponents of the nsa sweeping program held action sunday. the group protested in several u.s. cities on what it dubbed 1984 date.

the group held its first run a protest on july 4. in a ran, hasan rouhani took the presidential oath of office replacing outgoing president ahmadinejad. he is seen as a moderate who could pave the way for talks disputedds i --ran's nuclear program. the focused on the country's oil exports, enforcing sanctions. he called for an end to the sanctions. >> interactions based on equal footing and cooperation will be the basis of our relations with other countries. on this basis, proportionate to the behavior and approach of the other side, in view of improving and promoting future ties, we will ascertain our next step. so i will say this. if you want the right response, does speak with a ron, speak with respect. >> we will have more later in

the broadcast. in zimbabwe, election officials say the president has been reelected to his seventh term in office with more than 60% of the vote for you and the declaration came widespread claims of fraud including reports by a local observer group is has up to a million people were prevented from casting ballots. his main challenger said his party rejects the victory. >> the people of zimbabwe should toallowed opportunity freely, fairly elect a government of their choice. [indiscernible] a number of opposition members said they have been physically attacked by the gabi supporters following the contested poll. john kerry said in a statement saturday --

the bureau of investigative journalism says last month saw three u.s. drone strikes carried out in pakistan, the highest number since january. last week john kerry told pakistanis in a tv interview president obama had a very real timeline for ending the strikes. the state department's own spokespeople quickly contradicted him. in a statement said there was no exact timeline while another said, in no way would we ever deprive ourselves of a tool to a fight a threat if it arises. released news also evidence the cia targeted rescuers at the scene a prior drone strikes in pakistan, conducting so-called double tap strikes that in some cases may be considered war crimes. the reports are the latest time there is been little change in

obama's ministrations cover drone orders. leadersian court says of the muslim brotherhood will face trial later this month on charges of inciting violence during deadly clashes in the lead up to the army's ouster president morsi. includingplomats, best a pretty secretary of state william burns, met with jill deputy brotherhood leader today. but according to al jazeera, he refused to negotiate, instead demanding the diplomats meet with the ousted president. morsi's supporters are still camped out into he squares in cairo despite government threats. on sunday, a yemeni nobel peace prize laureate tawakul karman was denied entry to egypt as she sought to join the protests against morsi's ouster. a state news agency said tawakul them placed on a list of people barred from entering egypt. the u.s. has still declined to name morsi's ouster military coup. last week john kerry issued his strongest words yet in favor of

the military's actions. >> the military was asked to by millions and millions of people, all of whom were afraid of the descended into chaos and the violence. and the military did not take over, to the best of our judgment, so far -- so far, to run the country. there is a civilian government. in effect, they were restoring democracy. >> the israeli cabinet has increased the number of settlements in the occupied west bank and eligible for government subsidies in a move that could cast a shadow in ongoing peace talks with the palestinians. the israeli group peace now says the cabinet vote expanded the number of eligible sediments from 85 to 91. palestinian officials quickly condemned the move read peace talks resumed last week for the first time in three years and set to continue this month in the middle east. the last talks

broke down after the palestinians insisted that israel stop expanding the west bank settlements. presidents, their lobo has ordered the military to take control of the country's main prison following a riot that killed at least three prisoners and injured a dozen. the violence on saturday came one day after the release of her report from the inter-american commission on human rights account prisoners are effectively run 24 prisons in honduras because the state has abandoned control. in a victory for disability rights in the u.s., a judge in virginia has rejected a guardianship request from the parents of a woman with down syndrome, instead ruling jenny hatch can live with france as she wanted. jenny hatch's parents sought guardianship rights that would've allowed them to keep the 29-year-old in a group home against her will. jenny had run away from a series of group homes over the past year, complaining she was treated like a child. on friday, newport news circuit judge david pugh designated chinese france -- a couple who

also hired her to work at their thrift store -- as her temporary guardians for your with the gold that beyond that she might live more independently. in a statement, disability counsel for the american civil liberties union said a federal judge has indefinitely block art of a new wisconsin law requiring abortion providers to obtain admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. the move extends an earlier hold on the measure while a legal challenge proceeds. land parenthood and the aclu have filed a lawsuit saying the law would force to out of four abortion facilities in wisconsin to close. courts have blocked similar laws in other states admitting privileges can be impossible for abortion providers to obtain because hospitals may oppose abortion or require doctors to admit a certain number of patients. on friday, u.s. district judge william calmly rolled conley ruled --

meanwhile in wisconsin, a man was sentenced friday to 10 years in prison for plotting to kill an abortion doctor at a madison, wisconsin planned parenthood. ralph lane was arrested in 2011 after his gun accidentally went off in a madison motel room. he told police he planned to "layout abortionists because they're killing babies." his sentence will be reduced by nearly 2.5 years as credit for time served. sikh communityhe wisconsin a remembering six people killed one year ago today when a neo-nazi gunman opened fire on worshipers at a temple in oak creek. events were held at the temple over the weekend to commemorate the shooting. one committee member reflected on the one-year anniversary. >> in the year since that day, i

would say i am just really, really -- i am really proud to be a part of this community, just in general. this -- how a community can come together in the wake of something terrible and really transform that incident into something positive . the amount of positive energy, outreach and support that i think this community has done is incredible. anniversary,oday's attorney general eric holder announced the justice department will begin collecting data on hate crimes committed against sikhs along with other religious groups. on saturday, -- 200 10 people were arrested at the chevron refinery in richmond, california and the latest mass mobilization against fossil fuel dependence and climate change. thousands of people marched to

the refinery to condemn safety issues at the plant and to call for renewable alternatives to fossil fuels. the protests came ahead of tuesday's one-year anniversary of a massive fire at the chevron refinery which sent toxic smoke willing to do air, hospitalizing roughly 15,000 people with respiratory issues. the city of richmond has filed a lawsuit against chevron for the fire, claiming it followed a series of similar incidents. this weakens protest was part of a wave of summer heat actions led by the environmental group 350.org. bill mckibben, the founder, was among those who are rested. >> the reason we're here is because chevron is really bad actor, ok? in the places where they get their oil, they are a bad actor. as the people in canada, ecuador. when they get it here to refine it, they are a bad actor. they sent 15,000 of their neighbors to the hospital, and

they are bad, bad actors on this planet. they have 9 billion barrels of oil in their reserves, ok? if they burn most of those, then we cannot deal with climate change. >> thanks to john hamilton for that video. dreamrida, the group defenders is continuing to occupy the florida state capitol were they up and amending the repeal of florida's stand your ground law for nearly three weeks area at the demonstrators celebrated a partial victory friday when florida house speaker will weatherford announced he will order hearings this fall to review the law, which impacted instructions to the jury that acquitted george zimmerman and the killing of trayvon martin. but weatherford assigned a staunch supporter stan your ground to chair the hearing stash republican state commerce member matt gets, who on friday said --

dream defenders executive director phillip agnew called the hearings a critical first step but said the group will continue sitting in again stand your ground and other wider issues occluding racial profiling and the school to prison pipe line. a sculptor has removed a controversial quotation from the martin luther king jr. memorial in washington, d.c. was ascription read "i drum major for justice, peace, and righteousness," a partial quotation from one of king sermons. here is what king actually said in 1968. >> yes, if you want to say i was a drum major, say that i was a drum major for justice. say that i was a drum major for peace. i was a drum major for righteousness. and all of the other shallow things will not matter. >> critics including put my angelou said the shortened version of kings quotation him appear arrogant. the completed memorial will have group marks in place of the disputed words.

it is due to be finished in time for the 50th anniversary of the march on washington, august 28. juliusil rights attorney traber's has died at the age of 76 after a long illness. according to the naacp legal defense fund, chambers was a founding member of the first racially integrated law firm in north carolina who litigated and argued a number of key disaggregation of voting rights cases before the supreme court. the group said in a statement julius chambers died on friday in north carolina. those are some of the headlines. this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman.

the obama administration has announced he will keep 19 embassies in north africa and the middle east closed front to a week due to fears of a possible militant threat. a u.s. global travel alert is also in place. on sunday, senator saxby chambliss said the decision to close embassies was based on information collected by the national security agency. there's been an awful lot of chatter out there. chatter means conversation among terrorists about the planning that is going on, very reminiscent of what we saw pre- 9/11. 9/11 and take heed on the way that we should, but i think it is very important here that we do take the right kind of planning as we come to the close of ramadan. we know that is always an interesting time for terrorist. we are also 38 days, 37 days away from the september 11 anniversary, so we are paying

very, very close attention to the chatter that is going on. david, thisll you, is the most areas threat that i have seen in the last several years. >> the timing comes at a time of heated debate in washington over the powers of the national security agency. two months ago today glenn greenwald of the guardian newspaper published his first article revealing the existence of a secret court order for verizon to hand over the telephone records of americans to the nsa. since then, the guardian has a list a trove of articles detailing their vast surveillance powers based on documents leaked by edward snowden. just last week ringwald exposed the secret program called nsascore that gives analysts real-time access to "nearly everything a typical user does on the internet" including e-mails, chats, and browsing history. article, greenwald reports members of congress have repeatedly been thwarted when attempting to learn basic

information about the nsa and the secret foreign intelligence surveillance court. to talk more about these developments, glenn greenwald joins us now from his home in brazil. welcome back to democracy now!\ since we have spoken to you, edward snowden has been granted temporary asylum in russia for a year. it is not known where he is right now in russia. have you spoken to him? do you know? >> i have. he is doing very well. that obviously very happy is very strange situation of being in the snow person land in the airport has been resolved. he now was able to be safe -- or or thet relatively safe next or from persecution by the united states. he is most interested whenever i talk to him not only about his own situation that really the extraordinary debate that he helped provoke both in the u.s. and around the world about privacy from a surveillance, and internet freedom.

>> what russia has done, giving him temporary asylum, has inferior aided the u.s., leading to questions on whether president obama will be going on a planned trip to russia next month. your comments on the fury by the u.s.? >> it is really kind of amazing if you try to count the number of countries back from the united states has directed its fury and threatened over the last two months in connection with the snowden affair. they began with hong kong followed up eyes the government of china, then move to latin america and threatened countries including venezuela, bolivia, ecuador, and a grog watch over whether he would be granted asylum. they threatened cuba over giving him the right to refuel. it seems like the list of countries the u.s. is threatening and expressing their fury at, which now includes russia, is getting to be longer than the countries in which they are not treated you can't go around the world threatening everybody for very long without

starting to appear rather ridiculous. i think one of the things the united states has done is really kind of showed the world what its character is. it can tell you here and latin because the plane of evo morales to be down in austria by blocking the airspace rights over their european allies. i think the final point to note, everyone in the world knows -- except for americans -- the u.s. routinely refuses to extradite people accused of horrible crimes. the ex-president and bolivia is accused of war crimes and was protected by the cia, living comfortably in the states who refuses to turn them over bree. i think when the u.s. pretends to be outraged when they don't get what they want an extradition, everyone in the world knows they frequently do the same thing and much more extreme cases. >> a few weeks ago i was talking

to manfred max-neef, chilean economist, and i think the u.s., the media doesn't cover very much the anger -- especially latin americans -- what has taken place. it was soon after the bolivian president's airplane was forced down in austria because do is put pressure on france and spain with italy and portugal not to let the airplane go through the airspace. this is what manfred max-neef come in economist, had to say about the situation of ed snowden when he was still in the russian airport. >> actually, here in this meeting, we produced a declaration about what happened to resident evo morales, which we consider is an unbelievable and unacceptable abuse of terms of international law, and we also stated that we are appalled by the incredible cynicism of practically all of the countries

in the world, vis-à-vis, with this young man has done, sacrificing his life and his future for something in which he believed. if you analyze what snowden did and then read the declaration of independence of the united manes and what that young did is exactly, exactly, exactly what thomas jefferson said american citizen should do if a government does the kind of things that have been discovered now. i am appalled that nobody in the world is stretching their hands to this young man, particularly, you realize the european union have now said they are furious with the united states for the things the states have been doing. since the days of the cold war. why are they furious? because of something this young man revealed. but nobody stretches a hand of this young man.

gaveuse the information he in order to be furious with the united states government, but they forget about the person, the human being who sacrificed himself to do it. -- this is a great tragedy. i am deeply disappointed, even with my country, with my the foreigno toisters should get together talk about what happened to president evo morales. chile and colombia were against [indiscernible] i am ashamed of my own government to have an attitude like that. so i am really sorry. i would love to be able to give a hand to this brave young man. >> that was economist manfred max-neef of chile.

i was speaking to him in bogotá, colombia, where there is a gathering of latin american right livelihood laureates, winners of the award, often referred to as the alternative nobel. responseenwald, your and what happens now. temporary him before asylum was granted by russia, but it is temporary. what is edward snowden saying she about what his plans are now? is this when he continues to push for asylum or will he make his home in russia? >> first of all, on the really interesting clip you just played, amy, i can tell you, as you well know, there are really diverse factions in latin in terms of the proper approach to the united states, how the u.s. and the west generally ought to be viewed, economic policy and the like. brazil tends to be more in the pro-u.s. camp than other states

that are governed by left-wing government. brazilell you, even in and throughout latin america where had been the last six weeks, -- were i have been the not only extreme anger at the u.s. for the treatment they have said debt did him to an evo morales, but he is considered to be quite a hero. he is a hero here, in asia, now in russia by all accounts. around theulations world grateful to have this information and it is true lots of government, especially in europe, where european governments give all new meaning inflamed them,lame even though they are obedient to the us government. the question will be, what pressure will be applied from the people to the government. i don't spend a lot of time with

edward snowden talking about his asylum plans. becauseon purpose and as i said earlier, he really prefers to focus on the substance of the revelations. from my understanding, he plans to spend time in russia getting himself settled and to figure out what he wants to do next. whether he intends to stay in russia permanently or go back to his original plan, which was to go through russia, which the u.s. blocked them from doing, and seeking asylum elsewhere, i don't know and i don't think he knows at the moment. >> the media report it last week he met americans online who are in moscow who had reached out to him and that is where he was going. do you know anything about that? every day i get literally dozens of offers of support from encouragement, and assistance for him that people send to me because they can't reach him and asked me to pass along to him.

i know there are americans in russia who view him differently and are eager to support him as well. i don't want to discuss specifics because the situation there is tenuous in terms of security and keeping things confidential is vital to his security. it is the case there are people all over the world who are very eager to help him. >> i'm asking you to stay for a moment. when we come back from break, i want to ask you by your latest article that is about what people in congress know about nsa programs, and of course, the big article that you have written about the latest program that most people knew nothing about in this country. it involves spying on americans. back in a moment. ♪ [music break]

>> this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. i want to go back to senator saxby chambliss, top republican senate intelligence committee, to get glenn greenwald's response. saidnbc meet the press he the nsa surveillance programs had uncovered information about the threats the prompted the u.s. to close 19 embassies. >> these programs are controversial read we understand that. they're very sensitive, but they're also important because they are what lead us to have or allow us to have the ability to gather this chatter that i referred to. if we didn't have these programs, then we simply wouldn't be able the listen in on the bad guys. i will say it is the 702 program that has allowed us to pick up on this chatter. that is the program that allows us to listen overseas, not on domestic soil, but overseas. >> glenn greenwald, your response?

>> it felt ludicrous for eight straight years, literally, democrats every time there was a terrorist alert or a terrorist advisor issued by the u.s. government in the middle of a debate over one of the bush /cheney civil liberties abuses would accuse the u.s. government of exaggerating terrorism threats, manipulating advisory's, the dangers of al qaeda in order to distract attention away from their abuses and to scare the population into submitting to whatever it is they wanted to do. here we are in the midst of one of the most intense debates, the same debate we have had over the dangers of excess surveillance, and suddenly, in administration that spent two years claiming it is decimated al qaeda decides there is this massive threat that involves the closing of embassies and consulates throughout the world. and within hours, the likes of instagram and sexy chambers join with democrats in congress who

congress to insist it shows the nsa and the programs are necessary. what that has to do with the the nsacontroversy and is mystifying. nobody has ever questioned or disputed the u.s. government ought to be eavesdropping and monitoring the conversations of people who pose an actual threat to the u.s. in terms of fighting terrorist attacks. factontroversy is over the they're sweeping of billions and billions of e-mails and telephone calls every single day from people around the world and the united states who have absolutely nothing to do with terrorism. controversy,g that the warning has to do with the current controversy, if anything, arguments many by analysts have made is that when you have an agency that collects everything, it actually becomes harder, not easier, to detect actual terror plots and to find the actual terrorist.

if this agency were really devoted to finding terrorism, they would be much more directed and discriminating, but they're not. they are limitless and indiscriminate and that is one of the problems. >> you appeared on sunday, after speaking with you, the host asked house intelligence committee member dutch ruppersberger to respond your claim that members of congress have had difficulty getting details of nsa programs. let's go to his response. >> this incident occurred was snowden, we've had three different hearings for members of our democratic caucus and republican caucus were general alexander has come with his deputy to ask any questions they have as a relates to this information. we will continue to do that because what we're trying to do now is get the american public to know more about what is going on, that the nsa is following the law, and we have checks and balances. we have the court, senate and house intelligence committee,

checks and balances to make sure the nsa does not violate the law and what they're doing. since these two programs have come into effect, there's not been one incident of any member of the nsa breaking any law whatsoever. but we can do better. educate my caucus more. we are trying to declassify as much as we can. >> glenn greenwald, your response? takes a much more prominent role in the political debate because he basically is the embodiment of the brought and sold it is become the democratic party. not only does his district encompassed the nsa, which explains in part why he is the stalwart, steadfast nsa is drowningt obama in cash from the defense and intelligence industries. money from those industries. he then gets placed on the very

committee that the church committee created in mid-1970s to exercise oversight over the agency and the community that basically ensures that his coffers are stuffed full of cash. of course he becomes a leading spokesperson for that agency and goes around offending everything they have done that thing wrong and there are vital and indispensable read that is the leading democrat on the committee. the thing he was asked about in terms of members of congress being locked from information, that is that my claim. members of congress came to me with his grievance and ask you to write about it. they gave me correspondence between themselves and the intelligence committee. what they're asking for was not sensitive information, but a sick things, things they read about in media cap such as the ruling by the fisa court in 2011 that much of what the nsa has been doing, spying on americans domestically, as a violation of the constitution and the law.

is a really isn't -- ruling by the fisa court this is the government has been systematically violating the fourth the mimic and how it spies on us and not only can we not see that ruling because it remains a secret of the assistance of the obama administration, even our elected were presented as in congress are blocked from seeing it. that is correspondence that we published that was given to me by various house members. with they do get meetings general alexander where they can raise their hands and ask questions and general alexander says we are not violating the to -- he caning say whatever he wants. they want the actual documents. that is how you exercise oversight. and they're being denied it. >> let me ask you something, the former alaska senator mike ravel who is the one who got the pentagon papers put into the congressional record and have them published by beacon press

said the senators who have been really sounding the alarms, people like senator udall, senator wyden, want to have been warning americans in cryptic way saying you have to find out about this, could go much further now that so much has been released by you and even the obama administration. >> right. there is an article in foreign- policy magazine over the weekend by professor that makes the same point. remember, u.s. senators have full constitutional immunity against prosecution for anything they say on the floor of the senate. daniel ellsberg when he was getting people to read the pentagon papers wanted to get mike revell and other senators to go to the floor of the senate every the pentagon papers because they would be immune from prosecution. thatch as i like the fact ron wyden and mark udall have been sounding the alarms for a couple of years, winking and hinting at americans that they would be shocked to learn all of

the things the obama administration is doing in secret, they didn't have the courage to tell us what those things were that they thought we should know. it took mr. snowden to come forward, who doesn't have immunity, and tell us. the first interview i did about this case on abc always followed by senator udall and they asked him about edward snowden. the first thing you said was, i deplore his leaks. mark udall did not have the courage to do it edward snowden did. he tried to get the content and other was something we should know, but did not come forward and say -- he tried to get the country to another or something we should know, but did not come forward and say it. do so with total protection. not like me who has been threatened, or mr. snowden who has been charged. they ought to do a lot more telling is what we should know.

>> how are you being threatened? >> i've had various politicians and journalists advocate that i am violating the law, that i ought to be arrested. there's been all sorts of debate on ther with graphics screen of cnn, abc, and other places should when greenwald be prosecuted. the obama administration has embraced that makes investigative journalism a crime. i am not saying i'm being formally threatened, but i've been threatened openly by people who have a great deal of influence in washington and have been channeling what's official washington thinks. >> you're supposed to testify last week before congress but the hearing was canceled because president obama was meeting with democrats. instead, you released a major piece. i want to talk about that in a moment. but will you be testifying before congress again and would you come into the u.s. to testify? last week it was going to be by skype. >> the hearing -- i don't know

if it has been finalized, but i think it is been scheduled for september 17 or 18th. they had to reschedule the hearing that was canceling president obama developed a newfound interest in speaking with house democrats, who you traditionally has ignored, which caused the cancellation of that hearing. i believe it is being rescheduled. andher i will come physically appear work or remotely by video depends on a number of factors including my schedule. the reporting i'm doing at the time as well as my legal advice that i get from my lawyers will determine how i will appear. we will see whether or not that hearing takes place with me remotely or physically there come a but i fully intend to testify. week wasearing last canceled but minutes before the senate hearing took place on that same day, you revealed details about a secret nsa thatam called xkeyscore

has allowed analysts a search with no prior authorization through vast databases containing e-mails, online chats, and the browsing histories of millions of people. one of the top secret documents you obtained to scribe how the xkeyscore program -- another slide shows how the toyscore allows the analyst win the ip addresses of every person who visits any website the analyst specifies. can you lay out what you revealed last week? thate best description of program that we revealed comes from the nsa, which says it essentially allows an analyst to search and then acquire nearly everything the user does on the internet. it is intended to be a conference a program. within the database of xkeyscore is every month, every 30 days,

40 billion internet records that are put into the database and top of what is already there, and what any analyst sitting at his or her terminal with access to this terminal can do is what you just described, they don't even need to know your e-mail address so if they do they can find all of your e-mails and read them, they can see what search terms you entered in google, what internet websites you visited, what microsoft word documents you sent, what to go are images you have surveyed essentially as the nsa says everything you can do on the internet. the real issue is mr. snowden in his first interview with us made the claim, which turned out to be one of the more controversial impact, anyk -- and analyst could wiretap the activity of anyone including the president. and accused of being a liar for having said that. the xkeyscore program

essentially allows a person to do that. there are legal constraints on what analysts can do in targeting the u.s. person. they need to go to the rubberstamping fisa court first. but even within the xkeyscore database, there are all sorts of communications that americans have both with foreign nationals, which does not require a warrant in order for an analyst to intercept and read, or even u.s. person to person. they try, they say, the filter communications. week, it isaid last technologically impossible to filter out all of it, much of even purely domestic communications and zipping put into these databases. the key issue is, when you sit at your terminal as an nsa analyst, and you want to go in search, no one is looking over your shoulder to see what you're doing. you don't even have to justify it. no court needs to approve it, no

supervisor approves it. auditing is extremely random and not very rigorous. there is no pre-searched approval requirement. they can invade this incredibly sensitive online activity anytime they decide to do so. >> i also want to ask you about a news story just tweeted about published today by reuters. the article begins "a secretive u.s. drug enforcement administration unit is funneling information from intelligence intercepts, wiretaps, informants and a massive database of telephone records to authorities across the nation to help them launch criminal investigations of americans."

glenn greenwald, can you talk more about this? >> this should be a huge scandal for the following reason. the essence of the constitution is the government cannot obtain evidence or information about you unless it has probable cause to believe you have engaged in a crime and then goes to court to get a warrant. and only then is that evidence usable in a prosecution against you. with this secret agency -- what the secret agency is doing according to reuters is circumventing that process by gathering all kinds of information without any court supervision, without any oversight at all. use surveillance technologies and other forms of domestic spying. ,hen he gets this information it knows that information can be courtn a criminal because it is outside the legal process so they cover-up how they really got it and pretend

-- they make it seem as though they really got it through legal and normal means, but in going back and retracing the investigation was they already have it and re-acquiring it so it looks like it really was done in the constitutionally permissible way. they're putting people in prison for using evidence they have acquired illegally, which there than covering up and lying about . they're deceiving everyone involved in criminal prosecutions about how this information was obtained. >> since we have last spoken, bradley manning has been convicted -- not of the most serious crime aiding the enemy, but about 20 other counts, a number of them involving espionage. you have written extensively about bradley manning.

also edward snowden and his story which exploded. to show edward snowden understood how seriously he would be treated -- it was in the midst of the lead up to the court-martial. can you comment on bradley manning's convictions? >> bradley manning is a national hero who deserves all kinds of metals the national gratitude, not criminal prosecution, let alone decades of prison. he exposed serious war crimes, all kinds of deceit on the part of not only the united states government, that governments around the world. even bill keller from the new credits the publication of the diplomatic cables with exposing corruption about tierney's in the arab world that helped spark the arab spring, one of the greatest of aquatic revolutions of the last several centuries.

clearly, his intent was to spark exactly the kind of reform that he was hoping to see in the wake of publication showing the apache helicopter killing unarmed civilians in baghdad. what this bradley manning trial is about is about creating fear in the u.s. where would-be whistleblowers are afraid to come forward and blow the whistle on what they learn is being done by the government that is corrupt and illegal and deceitful, basically, enable the government license to break the law. one of the things that is made mr. snowden's behavior so powerful, and the reason it has scared the u.s. government so much, is because it shows that people are going to defy that climate of fear. simply because the u.s., as daniel ellsberg said, is no longer a safe place for whistleblowers.

but the case of bradley manning is a huge national disgrace. but i think it will be beneficial in a tragic way, showing the true character of the u.s. with regard to transparency and credibility. >> bradley manning's mother expressed support for her son and her first interview since his arrest early three years ago read she suffers from health problems and makes travel to the rest of the cold. she suffersd -- from health problems and makes travel to the u.s. difficult. as we wrap up this discussion, when you released the video of edward snowden and you at the hong kong and you released story after story about his expections, did you ever it would come to this point several months later, two months later? >> honestly, i didn't.

i have been writing about surveillance issues for a long time and for many different reasons. sometimes it is difficult to make the stories resonate. in 2005, the new york times revealed the bush administration was spying on americans in exactly the way the law makes a felony and not only were there no prosecutions from that, but the democrats and republicans in congress joined together with very little public backlash and essentially pass two bills in 2007 and 2008 that legalized that criminal eavesdropping program. verye concern from the first moment i talk to mr. snowden, i remember well the first conversation i had, and he was clear about the fact he had no fear about anything in terms of what he wanted to do except for 1 -- and that one fear he said he had was that he would essentially sacrifices liberty and his life and unravel his entire existence in order to

make these disclosures and these disclosures would be met by apathy and indifference on the part of the american public, the us media, and the political flag. from the beginning our discussions were about how to make sure that that didn't happen, that people understood the true seriousness and the magnitude of what it was that was being revealed. i have to say, two months later, thistch essentially extraordinary and unprecedented coalition of conservatives and liberals and tea party and centrists joined together in reform, for a serious to see huge shifts in public its heels, to on see numerous countries around the world to see a worldwide debate in multiple countries around the globe over what the u.s. is doing, to see huge amounts of public support for what mr. snowden has done in ways i think will be

consciousness-shifting on lots of levels has not only been gratifying, but it has been surprising. i haven't been able to fully stop and think about and analyze all of the reasons why it has resonated this way, but, clearly, there was something in the ether that was ready for this sort of political controversy. i think you do see enormous amounts of impact in the way people are thinking and mobilizing not just about surveillance, but the role of the government and secrecy and the u.s. in general. >> will you be releasing more information? >> yeah, there are a lot more stories i'm working on at this moment. >> glenn greenwald, thank you for joining us in spending this time with us. published edward snowden's revelations about the nsa surveillance programs and continues to write extensively on the topic. his most recent article we will link to, "members of congress denied access to basic information about nsa." this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman.

when we come back, we will talk about the inauguration of a new president and a ram, what it means for the united states. iran, what it means for the united states. ♪ [music break]

>> this is democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. , where the to iran president -- new president hasan rouhani was sworn in. he signaled the possibility of talks to resolve disputes over the country's nuclear program and also call for the lifting of international sanctions. interactions based on equal footing and cooperation will be the basis of our relations with other countries. to the basis, proportion behavior and approach of the other side in view of improving and promoting future ties, we will ascertain our next step. so i will say this, if you want the right response, don't speak with iran in the land which of sanctions, speak in the language of respect. >> iran hasan rouhani plus new

president giving his inaugural address sunday. to talk more, we go to ,ashington, d.c. to trita parsi author of several books including, "a single roll of the dice: obama's diplomacy with iran." trita parsi, welcome to democracy now! first, tell us who the new president of iran is. >> he is definitely an insider of the system in the common republic. reformist as has been reported, but rather more of a centrist, but enjoys very good relations with most of the factions in the iranian political system. most importantly, perhaps, he is known to his friends as the sheik of diplomacy because he is led so many of the negotiations that karen has been engaged in and according to the former french ambassador to tehran, he believes that hasan rouhani was essential in convincing the supreme leader to end some of

the military dimensions of the iranian nuclear program back in 2003 when the europeans were negotiating with hasan rouhani. the inauguration this weekend, u.s. house of representatives passed its harshest sanctions yet on karen, focusing on the country's oil exports. what is the significance of this? there is ait shows significant difference between the approach of the obama administration and the u.s. congress. hard-liners on both sides working in toronto and washington have had two easy of the time to scuttle deals and sour are opportunities for diplomacy between the two countries. and for the u.s. commerce to pass sanctions three days before the inauguration of the new president, a president that has engaged successfully in diplomacy in the past who is given the world some hope that perhaps the can be a resolution to the nuclear program, only indicates there isn't a clear interest in the u.s. congress

for bro solution but rather a clearer interest for going toward a confrontation. >> what does this mean for the relationship between iran /israel, and the u.s., the new president? >> if we take the u.s. and iran, it's a negotiation ends up taking place and i think there is an interest in the obama administration to do so, then we have to understand will be a significant confrontation at some point, most likely, between the congress and the president as to whether actually deliver anything in the negotiations. asking,tion u.s. is legitimacy about the new president, is whether he is capable of delivering. the we tend to forget is iranians have asked the same question of president obama. is he capable of delivering? congress is never ending in a strike for imposing new sanctions that actually

undermines the chances of diplomacy. >> and the relationship with israel? >>. that will be interesting we sell this past week and there were mistranslations by the iranian media saying hasan rouhani said something along the lines that israel is a wound that needs to be removed whereas in reality, he did not do so at all. tweeted what he was referring to was the occupation of palestinian territories. i believe a lot of israelis would agree with the statement as well. somewhat embarrassing because the israeli prime minister it in yahoo without quickly and pointed -- netanyahu went out caution.nd pointed it turned out he did not set it at all. hasan rouhani's language was moderate compared to what was

coming out of ahmadinejad. when you take a look at some of the statements hasan rouhani has said on this issue, you get a clear picture that he tends to be along those with those within the iranian political system who favors the idea of really lowering the rhetoric, not getting entangled directly in a confrontation with the israelis. retaining support for palestinians, but not being a frontline state vis-à-vis israel. that is a remarkable shift compared to what we've seen with with ahmadinejad in the past few years. >> trita parsi thank you,, for being with us. he is author of a number of books including, "treacherous alliance: the secret dealings of iran, israel and the united states." his new book, "a single roll of the dice: obama's diplomacy with iran." democracy now! is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. e-mail your comments to outreach@democracynow.org or mail them to democracy now! p.o. box 693 new york, new york 10013. [captioning made possible by democracy now!]